Deadly Secrets
by Nova Harman-Redfern
Summary: Juliana is on the run, pursued by a mysterious figure that had chased her across the globe, without even knowing why. She hides in the small town only to meet people who seem stranger than her. Everyone seems to have secrets to hide, secrets that could be
1. Default Chapter

Title: Deadly Secrets  
Author: Nova  
Email: cryptorchid7@hotmail.com  
Spoilers: Basic Night World concepts  
Disclaimers: Night World and its ideas belong to LJS. The story and everything unrecognised belongs to me.   
Rating: 15  
Warnings: Mild violence and language  
Summary: Juliana is on the run, pursued by a mysterious figure that had chased her across the globe, the worst thing is she doesn't even know why. She hides in the small town of Elm Creek where she believes she's safe, only to meet strange people and uncover a part of her past that has remained hidden for centuries. Everyone seems to have secrets to hide, secrets that could be deadly...  
Notes: General pleas for feedback  
  
Part 1  
  
She ran through the twisted forest, her clothes and long hair catching on the twisted branches of the tress. The rain poured, thunder boomed and lightning flashed. She knew she was lost, but she kept going.  
  
*He* was behind her. If he caught her, he would kill her. For over a hundred years he had pursued her all over the world, and she didn't even know why. All she knew was that he hated her and was driven to kill her. She didn't even know his name.  
  
She was *not* going to let him get her. At least without knowing *why* he was after her.  
  
The lightning hit a tree near by and she quickly changed direction, blending into the darkness around her. She'd done some bad things in her life. Her *long* life. Was something she'd done connected to him in some way?  
  
He seemed to know plenty about her. He knew her deepest, darkest secret - she wasn't anymore human than he was.  
  
Suddenly he was there in front of her. She screamed in terror. She saw a flash of hard, cold blue eyes. Her screams of terror were ignored as he lunged at her with a long wooden stake.  
  
* * * 


	2. Part 2

Part 2  
  
Juliana sat up in bed, screaming, sweat pouring down her face. She blinked in the darkness and shut off the screams abruptly.   
  
~Only a dream~ she told herself, ~ only a dream.~  
  
She took several deep breaths calming herself down. She reached out and pulled some tissues from a box on the bedside table, using them to wipe the sweat from her face. She wasn't lost in the woods. She was safe. Sae in a new town called Elm Creek, somewhere in the USA, in the middle of nowhere, where surely he'd never find her.   
  
Juliana yawned, but she wasn't really tired anymore. She was hungry. But not for a quick snack in the middle of the night like cookies and milk. ~Cookies are no good. Not what I need.~  
  
She got out of bed and headed into the kitchen without bothering to turn on the light as she could see perfectly in the dark anyway. In such a small town if she slipped out and made a quick kill, then someone would notice and start asking questions.  
  
~No~ she scolded herself. ~No. You do not kill. No matter how much you want to you'll never kill again. You'll have to learn to control yourself. Remember what happened the last time.~  
  
Juliana shuddered, pushing away the memories that were trying to emerge. No. She wasn't that monster anymore. She would never be that monster again. The consequences had been fatal.   
  
She slipped on a pair of sandals and headed out into the back yard. Animals were okay. She could feed on them. If humans used them for food why couldn't she? She picked up a wild hare that had wandered into her yard. She could hear other night animals scurrying about, smell them, and the smell of this one was making the hunger inside her stronger.  
  
Her canines lengthened to long, delicate curving points, which she used to pierce the base of the hare's throat. The hot blood gushed into her mouth, filling her with warmth and a tingling sensation. It would satisfy her for now.  
  
She wouldn't let the need get out of control again.  
  
When the hare was drained of blood she dropped the corpse into the metal trash can by the back door.   
  
For a while Juliana stayed outside, gazing at the beauty of the night, all the more wonderful with her night vision. The sky was shimmering with several shades of blue, sprinkled with a million tiny pinpricks of stars, gleaming with moon, bathing the world in a mysterious white glow.  
  
Juliana loved the night. It was in her nature, in her blood. The one part of her she wouldn't deny. For Juliana did truly belong to the night, as a vampire. She was also a master of witchcraft, learning the talent for centuries. One aspect of her witchcraft she wasn't so sure about were the visions. Her premonitions. Past and future events. A blessing or a curse, she never knew, particularly when she saw things she didn't want to see.  
  
But who would suspect there was a vampire in the middle of nowhere. It may be secluded, but it was a nice town, buildings both old and modern. As for the people...she would find out what they were like tomorrow when she started school in the morning.  
  
Juliana was originally from Ancient Rome, and had lived for over two thousand years. She was used to changing and adapting when the world around her developed. She had lived in lots of different countries and knew lots of languages.  
  
She was also very good with computers. Every two hundred years or so, she changed her looks and her name, staying carefully hidden. But as the 21st century developed and technology became a major part of life, Juliana had learned to create "pasts" for herself on file, dodging the human authorities.  
  
She was ready for a new life now. She had accepted her nature, eventually, and lived a full life during both the night and day, as the sun held no boundaries for her, not completely evil, but exactly Miss Perfect.  
  
It was the beginning of the nineteenth century when he had first appeared. At the memory she shivered the warm feeling the blood had given her turning cold. She went inside.  
  
She had lived in Italy at the time with her present lover, an Italian vampire by the name of Antonio. He had adored her, as she had him. She had been very much in love with him, her lust and desire bordering almost on obsession. But that had not mattered as his feelings for her had been the same.  
  
And then *he* had appeared. The Hunter with the ice cold blue eyes.  
  
He had murdered Antonio in front of her, and from that moment on, her life had become a walking nightmare.  
  
He had pursued her all over the world. No matter where she tried to hide, he always found her. She never saw his face, just his eyes. She shuddered. The idea of settling down here was blending in amongst the human regulars he wouldn't find her. The area was so small, practically non-existent.   
  
She glanced at her reflection in the mirror whilst heading back to bed. Her hair was golden blonde, rippling softly down her back, her eyes were a sparkling emerald green. She had porcelain pure skin, high cheekbones and a full red mouth with a stunning smile, revealing perfect white teeth. This was how she had looked before she had changed.  
  
He shouldn't recognise her at all now. The last time he had seen her, her hair had been short and black, her skin slightly darker. A Glamour spell had helped her out with a new look. Her name back then had been Cynthia.  
  
A new look, a new name, a new place, and a new laugh.  
  
~He won't find you~ Juliana told herself. ~He won't~  
  
She kept repeating this to herself as she fell into a dreamless sleep.  
  
  
* * * 


	3. Part 3

Part 3  
  
The classroom was buzzing with the sounds of kids who hadn't seen each other all summer, who sat around in noisy clusters gossiping. Paige Hoffman sat alone in a back corner waiting for her friends to arrive.  
  
No one had really changed all that much, which wasn't unusual. Nothing ever happened here in Elm Creek. Everyone was the same as they had been in the first grade. She would love for someone new to come, someone different who would change things, liven the area up a bit.  
  
Suddenly someone snapped their fingers in front of her face. "Earth to Paige, anyone home?" a bright cheerful voice was saying.  
  
"No. Go away." Paige opened her eyes and grinned.  
  
"Yeah, we missed you too," a deep male voice said.  
  
Page smiled as her two friends Jackson and Charlene took seats beside her. Charlene was tall with long golden hair and bright green eyes. She was dressed in a pale blue top and khaki shorts with strappy brown sandals on her feet. Jackson was tall and dark skinned with deep-set black eyes and a gleaming bald head, who remind Paige of the killer on the space ship in the movie *Pitch* *Black*. He was dressed in a black tank-top and black jeans. Paige herself was also tall, with long blue hair, streaked with black. She was dressed in a black top with a Chinese dragon design and a short black skirt showing off long slender legs.  
  
Most people avoided their group, considering them the weirdos. But lately, Paige had been feeling that her own friends were just as dull and predictable as everyone else. And yet, at the same time she was convinced nothing never happened, she was equally convinced, that before long, things were going to change dramatically.  
  
"What's up Paige? You're completely out of it," Jackson said, a note of concern in his voice.  
  
Paige sighed. "I guess I'm just bored. Nothing ever happens around here."  
  
Charlene snorted. "Of course nothing ever happens around here. We're in the middle of nowhere. In *Oregon*. What'd you expect?"  
  
"Hello, what do we have here?"  
  
Jackson had turned around and was facing the front of the classroom. A new girl stood in the doorway. She was tall, blonde and gorgeous. She was also dressed in dark clothing, a long dark skirt and a black and red halter-neck top. There was an aura of differentness about her.  
  
"Someone's in love," Charlene said with a snicker, glancing over at Jackson, who seemed entranced with the new girl. He couldn't take his eyes off her.  
  
The girl was scanning the room, looking for somewhere to sit. She started to head into the classroom, her movements as graceful as a lioness. She sat down in an empty seat behind some of the popular girls who were turning and talking to her. The new girl's voice was beautifully modulated, clear as bells.  
  
Throughout the period, Jackson just couldn't stop staring at the girl. The girl glanced over at him once. Paige frowned, wondering why she looked so familiar. When the bell rang she moved away before he could talk to her.   
  
Paige and Charlene exchanged glances. They'd never seen him like this before. "Jackson?" Charlene asked, touching his arm briefly to bring him back. He didn't move.  
"Oh my God! She's taking all her clothes off!" Paige said suddenly. Jackson's head snapped in her direction. The girl of course, was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"What's *wrong* with you?" Paige demanded.  
  
Jackson shook his head. "I don't know. I just - I - I have to have that girl. There's just - something..." He trailed off and shook his head. Then he left, probably going to hunt her down.  
  
Paige and Charlene exchanged glances again.  
  
"What the hell is the matter with him?" Paige asked, annoyed.  
  
Charlene just shrugged. "Who knows? I'd hate to think what would happen if that girl *isn't* interested in him!"  
  
* * * 


	4. Part 4

Part 4  
  
Rhea Moore had also noticed the strange new girl. She was different from people around here. A stranger amongst them. It was weird that Jackson had been obsessed with her from first glance. Then again, Jackson was just weird, period.  
  
Everyone thought that his group were the freaks, the ones to be avoided. Were they ever wrong. The difference was Rhea and her friends chose to look like normal people, while Jackson and his friends deliberately seemed to look weird and slightly out of it.  
  
Rhea found her friends sitting in a secluded area under some trees around a picnic table. They were the popular crowd, the group everyone wanted to be part of. ~They wouldn't if they knew~ she thought, sitting down and flipping back her dark red hair.  
  
Tall, blond and handsome Brandon was looking across the outside eating area. "Who's the new girl?" he asked, spotting her walking around, looking for somewhere to sit.   
  
"Don't know yet," Rhea said. "She was in my first period English class. There's definitely something different about her."  
  
"Is she one of us?" Orchid Keller asked. Her silver eyes were narrowed as she tried to get a glimpse of the girl. Orchid was tall and stunning, her skin the colour of the flower she had been named for. Her hair was a glossy chestnut brown, tied back in a ponytail. She was dressed in an expensive lilac "preppy-looking" outfit, giving her a spoiled and sophisticated appearance.  
  
Orchid was anything but. She was a shapeshifter, a rare and ancient species with the ability to shift at will. And that was the group's secret. Not one of them was human. They were Night People. Rhea was a vampire, three hundred years old. Not a typical lamia, either. She could read minds, and had sharper senses like typical Night World vampires, but could also work magic better than some of the most experienced born witches,  
  
Brandon was a modern-day djin, a type of geni with the ability to grant wishes. The ability could be extremely dangerous, particularly when the wisher wasn't being careful. There was no turning back once a wish had been granted.  
  
"Who's the hot chick in the black outfit?" Aries Winter asked. Aries was another shapeshifter.   
He was small with rusty hair and a friendly, easy smile.   
  
"New girl," Aurora Silverthorne answered. Aurora was another vampire, same age as Rhea. She was small with raven hair and a porcelain complexion. She was wearing a short patterned sundress.   
  
"Do we even know this strange girl's name?" Brandon asked. He eyed the girl as she ate. She looked up at that moment and caught him staring. He gave her one of his best smiles.   
  
"Let's see what we can find out," Orchid said. She waved to the girl, beckoning for her to come and join them. The girl stood up and moved towards them. Rhea noticed her feet didn't bend the grass.  
  
She moved around to the other side of the table with the boys while the new girl sat in her place. "Thanks," the girl said in a beautiful voice. Everything about this girl showed grace and beauty and perfection. Something about the way she moved reminded Rhea of graceful predators.  
  
Aires and Brandon were doing a not-so-subtle job of checking her out. The girl laughed. "Lots of people have been doing that today."  
  
"That's cause you're hot," Aries said.  
  
Rhea kicked him under the table. "Ignore him, he's an idiot."  
  
The girl glanced at him, an eyebrow raised. "I'll take your word for it." Her lips were curved into an amused smile. She seemed as curious about them as they were about her.  
  
"So what's your name?" Brandon asked, resting his arms on the table and leaning forward slightly.   
  
"Juliana," she answered. "And you are?"  
  
"I'm Brandon, the idiot it Aries, the girl between us is Rhea. The girl on your right is Orchid, on your left is Aurora."  
  
"How long have you been in town?" Orchid asked, inspecting her manicure. She seemed languid and not really interested.   
  
"Not long. I live in the Sun Set Apartment complex." Juliana was watching them all carefully, Rhea noticed, as if not sure what she should tell them. She tried to read the girl's mind and was surprised when she came up against blocks she couldn't get around.  
  
Then she heard Juliana's voice, but it wasn't out loud, it was inside her mind.  
  
~I know what you're doing. Please stop. You wouldn't want me to do it to you, now, would you?~  
  
Rhea looked at her in surprise. Juliana smiled a little.  
  
"Sun Set Apartments? They're supposed to be really cool. They have a pool, jacuzzi's and everything."  
  
Juliana shrugged. "They're okay," she said non-committedly.  
  
"What about your family. What do they do?" Aurora asked.  
  
Juliana frowned, tapping long black talon-like nails on the table. "I don't have a family. They died a long time ago. I have a sister, but we never speak."  
No one spoke. None of them had a family either. They all lived together in a large house on the edge of town, joined together by the woman who had taught them how to survive and use their powers.  
  
A goddess to them. But not always a kind goddess. She was ancient and powerful and even though none of them would admit it, Rhea knew they were all, including her, afraid of the woman.  
  
Studying the new girl, Rhea suddenly felt as if she had been doused by ice water. The new girl Juliana was the exact image of their goddess Serefina. She glanced around quickly, wondering if the others had noticed. Surely they must have...  
  
Juliana chose that moment to stand up, making moves to leave. "Well, it was nice meeting you guys, but I think I'm going to find my way to my biology class so I'm not late."  
  
"I have bio next," Aries said. "Who have you got?"  
  
Juliana pulled her schedule out her purse. "Uh - Miss Travis."  
  
Aries gave her a smile. "Come on, I'll escort you so you won't get lost." He stood up and left with Juliana.  
  
"Is she one of us?" Orchid asked as soon as Juliana was out of earshot.   
  
Rhea frowned. "Didn't you notice?"  
  
"Notice what?" Orchid said, eyebrow raised.  
  
Rhea shook her head. "I can't believe you didn't notice. She looks exactly the same as Serefina."  
  
"Coincidence," Brandon guessed. "Charlene Redfern looks like her too."  
  
"Is this new girl one of us?" Orchid said again.  
  
"She read my mind," Rhea told them.  
  
"She's a telepath?" Brandon asked.  
  
"I don't know. She knew when I was trying to read her mind, and she told me to stop."  
  
"Interesting," Brandon said, glancing in the direction Juliana had gone.  
  
"What *is* it with you guys and that girl?" Aurora demanded, annoyed. "None of you can hardly take your eyes off her. She's not *that* hot!"  
  
"In English this morning Jackson was obsessed with her from the minute she walked into the room," Rhea said.  
  
"That weirdo thinks he stands a chance with her? Not likely," Brandon muttered.   
  
"And you think you do? If you can get her out of Aries clutches," Orchid said with an amused smile. "And Jackson *isn't* weird, I think he's gorgeous."   
  
Brandon just stared at her. Then looked away in disgust. "I don't know what it is about Juliana," he said, answering Aurora's question. "There's just something - "  
  
"Remember Serefina's vision?" Aurora said with a frown. "She said someone was coming. Someone who would cause great pain, death and destruction."  
  
"Juliana?" Brandon said incredulously. "I don't think so."  
  
"I think we should tell Serefina about Juliana," Rhea decided. "Then she can decide what we do. Of course, if Juliana's a threat, she will have to be eliminated."  
  
Brandon, noticeably, looked a little disappointed at that. Rhea wondered what Juliana's secret was. There *was* something about her, no doubt about that. But it frightened Rhea more than fascinated her like the guys.  
  
She was hiding something.  
  
But what?  
  
* * * 


	5. Part 5

Part 5  
  
Juliana was relieved when the day was finally over. So many people staring at her and asking questions. And those people at lunch...They were the elite ones, the group everyone wanted to be part of. To Juliana they all seemed a little *too* perfect.  
  
Even through Aries, the boy who had been showing her round campus all afternoon was nice enough, he'd been looking at her questioningly, as if...as if he already knew there was something different about her and trying to figure out what.  
  
She wondered if they were Night People. But she wasn't going to say anything unless they did. She shuddered. She didn't want anyone finding out what she was. They wouldn't be able to accept her. As far as the world as concerned, vampires were just superstition and myth. No one would be able ton handle it if they knew the truth. No one would be able to handle if it they knew about the Night World, hence why humans had to die when they found out.  
  
She was surprised to find a girl with blue hair standing by her locker at lunch. She vaguely recalled seeing the girl in English that morning. The girl was part of a group she had been told were weird ones and had been warmed to stay away from.  
  
The girl seemed almost embarrassed. "Um...hi," she said. "I'm Paige Hoffman. I was in English this morning?"  
  
Juliana nodded vaguely. "Juliana Valmont." It wasn't her real surname. Her real surname was Redfern. When she had broken into the school register she had discovered there was already a Redfern in the school. She had come across several before, and the least contact she kept with the Redferns, the better. The name of Valmont had been totally random, it had come from a movie she had seen once.  
  
"Look, I just wanted to apologise for my friend. The big black guy who kept staring at you?"  
  
Juliana shrugged. "It's no big deal. Lots of people have been staring at me today."  
  
Paige still seemed awkward. "He isn't usually like this. He doesn't normally obsess with a girl from first glance. I don't really know how to explain his behaviour, I..." She broke off suddenly, a sullen look on her face.  
  
Juliana glanced around to see Orchid and Aurora approaching.   
  
"Hi," Aurora said brightly. "We're were planning on going into town so we thought you might like to come and we can show you around. What's hot and what's *not*." She glanced deliberately at Paige who gave her the finger. Aurora turned away with a toss of her hair. Juliana tried to hide a smile. She wasn't sure about these people get particularly Rhea with her mind reading ability.  
  
"Uh..."  
  
But the only way to find more about these people to go with them.  
  
She opened her mouth to say yes, when a blinding flash of agony struck. Instead of words only a groan came out of her mouth. But as the pain grew, a picture began to unfold in her mind. At first it was blurry and unclear.  
  
She saw flashes of water, sky, a face with green eyes. Two sets of eyes identical to her own. Faces like hers, but not quite hers. As the pain grew worse, the picture sharpened, (the down side with the visions).  
  
The water had gone, faded to a darkened bedroom. She sat there in bed, and there were people in the room, whom she didn't recognise. And yet two were mirror images of herself. Her face. Her eyes. They were wearing identical clothes, like the Romans she had seen in the history book that afternoon in class.  
  
The pain was becoming unbearable. Juliana fell to her knees, clutching her head and moaning. She was vaguely aware of alarmed voices and running feet. She tried to focus all her concentration on the scene unfolding in her own mind.  
  
The other people in the room were obscure, but one of the girls with her face produced a beautifully crafted knife. She used it to cut her palm and headed it to the other girl with her face. The other girl repeated the first's actions, using the wooden knife to slice her palm open. They came to sit on Juliana's bed, taking her own plans and cutting them, mixing her blood with theirs.  
  
For some reason Juliana was incredibly weak, she couldn't move her arms, adding her blood to the mixture. She watched as they each drank a small amount of the mixture from the cup. But the ritual wasn't through yet.   
  
The picture was fading. Juliana desperately tried to hold on, but the harder she tried, the more it hurt. Waves of blinding agony were striking her like hammer blows. When she stopped trying the pain began to slowly fade, as did the picture.  
  
Her mind and vision went black.  
  
* * * 


	6. Part 6

Part 6  
  
When Juliana opened her eyes she found herself on her knees on the high school floor, clutching her head. People were gathered around her in a little group, talking or whispering to each other about herm asking her questions.  
  
The boy who'd spoken to her that afternoon, Aries, was coming down the hall towards her with a human in a white uniform. The human was kneeling down in front of her, asking her something. Juliana's mind cleared enough to focus on the question.  
  
"Are you all right? What happened?"  
  
Juliana staggered to her feet. The pain had faded to a bearable headache. "I'm fine," she answered, using whatever power she had left to brainwash the human into believing her.   
  
She turned around and her face contorted with shock. One of the girls from the vision was *there*. In the hallway, looking at her with everyone else. Her features were identical to Juliana's. Same golden hair, same green eyes, same confused expression.  
  
"Are you sure you're all right?" the human in the white uniform was saying disbelievingly.  
  
"I'm - I'm fine," Juliana choked out. "I have to go now." She turned away from the crowd, head down so no one could see her face. What the hell *was* that? She had had visions before but never like that. They'd never caused her such unbearable pain.  
  
And the two girls in the vision, both of them exactly the same as her...  
  
Past. They must have been images from her past. Ever since the Hunter had shown up and ruined her, she had repressed a lot of her memories, not wanting to think about why he was after her, just wanting to get away, when it had all started.  
  
But now she was slowly beginning to remember. She had had two sisters. She had been the youngest in a set of triplets. Something...something had happened, one of them had turned...become evil...dragging the other two down with her into her world of darkness and death...  
  
Now Juliana remembered she had escaped, and never seen either of her sisters again, for about eight hundred years, maybe more, maybe less. Right now she couldn't even remember their names.   
  
One of them was here in town. Had been standing in that hallway. Probably even in some of her classes.  
  
"Juliana wait!"  
  
Juliana ignored the voice, hoping whoever it was would take the hint and leave her alone. She couldn't deal with people right now. She was aware she was moving fast, too fast for humans to catch up with her,  
  
Before she knew what was happening someone had caught her arm. She jerked away as if she had been burned, It was Aries, his amber eyes full of concern. How had he managed to keep up with her? It should have been impossible for a human. Unless...unless he wasn't...  
  
"Are you all right?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts.  
  
"I'm fine," Juliana answered, silently wishing he'd go away.  
  
"What happened back there?"   
  
"Nothing. I get - headaches sometimes."  
  
His head tilted to one side. "It looked like more than that to me."  
  
"Yeah, well, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me." Juliana gave him her best smile, her wish for him to go away becoming almost desperate.  
  
Aries sighed. "Okay, okay. I can take a hint."  
  
He started walking away. Then he stopped and looked back. "Oh, Juliana?" he called.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it."  
  
And he walked away, leaving her alone.  
  
* * *  
  
  
Paige glanced over at Charlene as she joined her. She wondered how she could have missed it that morning. She had noticed that Juliana looked familiar but couldn't figure out why. Now she could.  
  
Charlene and Juliana were identical. *Identical*. How the hell could no one else have noticed that? Had Jackson?  
  
"You're related to that girl?" she asked.  
  
Charlene frowned. She looked as puzzled as Paige. "No, I'm positive I've never met that girl in my life."  
  
As the strange new girl had collapsed an even stranger picture had begun to form in Charlene's mind, images of herself, that Juliana girl, and another girl with their face, involving some sort of dark ritual with blood and knives. Without being sure *how* she knew, she knew that Juliana was seeing exactly the same images.   
  
The vision seemed to have caused Juliana incredible pain. Yet she felt nothing but surprise. What did it mean? She had never seen things like that before.  
  
Of course, her own memories of her past were not all that clear to her. The last thing she remembered clearly was coming to this town three years ago and settling down. Before then everything else was kind of blurry.  
  
She didn't really mind, though. She liked everything the way it was now. She had no family that she knew of, yet money and expenses had never been a problem before. She didn't understand that either, but certainly had never questioned it, if someone wanted to look out for her, then let them.  
  
She would have liked to know who, but for now was happy being kept in the dark. There were some things she *didn't* want to know. She lived close to the woods, handy for her - condition. No one knew about that and she wanted to keep it that way.  
  
But somehow, she felt everything was about to change.  
  
She shook her head. "I don't know," she muttered. "I just don't know."  
  
Paige watched her walk away. What the hell was happening, in a small sleepy town where nothing ever happened? A new girl had arrived, and everything was changing. Half the male population were drooling and obsessed, and now Charlene was acting weird.   
  
Something was going on.  
  
~And I'm going to find out what,~ she thought.  
  
* * * 


	7. Part 7

Part 7  
  
Juliana stood there staring after him. Be careful what you wish for...what was *that* supposed to mean? She had no idea. It sounded like a threat. She thought of everyone she had met today. It seemed that everyone had something to hide. Everyone had a secret.  
  
Well, she was no exception. She had dangerous secrets of her own no one must ever find out. The unexplained pain of the vision had faded, leaving confusion in its place. She shook her head, completely baffled as to what was going on, why she had ended up the way she had.  
  
She had no clear recollection of how she had become what she was. But the vision must have been trying to tell her something in regards to one of the shady areas of her life, she was sure of it.  
  
The vision had cut itself off. There was more to be seen. Juliana shuddered, wondering if she really wanted to see. The second girl in the vision was the one that had been in the school hallway. Who was she? Apart from identical features, what did they have to do with each other? Did she have something to do with Juliana or a vampire she'd made in the past?  
  
She knew there were some vampires out there, made by her, who had gone on to make their own. Other Night People. There were some here in town. She could sense them. Most places she went there were so few of them. The differences may be subtle, but she had always been pretty sure she could spot others of her kind.  
  
That girl in the hallway had been one. She wasn't even hiding the psychic senses that probed outwards, telling Juliana what she was. But those people at lunch....there had been something about them...they all showed the signs...that girl Rhea had tried to read her mind. But when Juliana had tried to enter their minds she had just come up against blocks. She couldn't get around their blocks any more than they could hers. It wasn't just general Night World blocks. It was something else. Something more powerful. Who, or what, Juliana couldn't tell.  
  
A terrifying thought suddenly struck her. What if they were in league with the Hunter? The Hunter who had made her life a living hell.  
  
Instinctively Juliana stopped walking and looked around her, her heightened senses aware. Her sharp eyes probed the area around her. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. School had just ended, both the high school and elementary she was passing.   
  
People were milling around in small groups of two or three, kids laughed and chattered with one another as they made their way home. Children were shrieking happily like the annoying little brats they could be.   
  
Juliana had never been very fond of children, except for the taste of their blood, which was nice, like after dinner mints. She smiled a not-very-nice smile at two little boys who were running around her feet. The smile was enough to send them running back to their mothers before she kicked them back.  
  
She pulled her keys out and entered her apartment, dropping her books by the small staircase and just stood there silently, wondering what to do. When the phone rang suddenly she panicked, wondering what it could be. She pushed the door shut and went to answer it. She paused, wondering who it could be.   
  
Her hand hovered over the receiver. She hadn't given anyone her number. She was pleased her voice sounded so controlled when she answered. "Hello?"  
  
There was no answer. Just heavy breathing on the other end of the line. Juliana frowned. "Hello?" she said. "Is anyone there?"  
  
"Who is this?"   
  
A throaty chuckle answered her.   
  
"Who is this?" she snapped again, loosing her temper.   
  
"You can run, but you can't hide," the throaty voice hissed.   
  
Juliana froze. No it, couldn't be...  
  
"I'm coming for you Serefina. You won't get away this time."  
  
Click.  
  
The caller hung up and the line went dead.  
  
* * * 


	8. Part 8

Part 8  
  
Juliana remained where she was, still clutching the phone to her ear, chilled to the bone. It should have been impossible. He *couldn't* have been able to find her so fast...  
  
But he head. Then she focused on the words. ~I'm coming for you Serefina~. That wasn't her name. She'd used lots of names throughout her lifetime, but she was sure Serefina hadn't been one of them.   
  
So maybe the call had been a wrong number and wasn't meant for her. No matter how false that sounded, Juliana hung up, letting herself believe that. All a mistake. She turned and started to walk away when the phone rang again.  
  
She stopped dead, not moving, not answering. She waited for the caller to give up, assuming no one was home. But the caller was patient. He waited a long time. Finally, Juliana darted forward, snatched the receiver and waited.   
  
"Uh, Juliana?" a male voice on the end of the line said. "It's Brandon. We met at lunch."  
  
"Did you just call?" Juliana demanded.   
  
"No. Why? Did something happen?" His surprise and concern were genuine.  
  
"I got a prank call a minute ago, that's all," she muttered, then paused. "How did you get my number?"  
  
"Hacked into the school computer system," he answered casually.  
  
Juliana couldn't help a small smile. She had to admit, she was impressed.  
  
"Listen, I was just wondering if you wanted to get a burger or something to eat later."  
  
Juliana almost said no, since human food did her no good. Why waste her time and money? On second thought, it was *normal*, and right now normal was what she longed for most. "Sure, I'd like that," she said brightly.  
  
"I can show you around afterwards," he offered. "I thought the girls were going to show you this afternoon, but they said you collapsed. Are you okay?"  
  
Juliana frowned, her light-hearted mood fading. "I'm fine," she said shortly. She didn't want to talk to anyone about the vision yet, and certainly not with him. She didn't know who he might blab to.  
  
"I'll pick you up around seven, okay?"  
  
"Sure. See you."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Juliana put the phone down and glanced around. Shadows were lengthening on the floor, and the house was growing dark and lonely. She found herself actually looking forward to going out later. Running and hiding had left her very little time for people the last hundred years or so.  
  
It had been so long since she had had friends, been part of a crowd and enjoyed life. She wanted to be able to stay here. It was a nice place, and so what if the people were a little weird? At least they were trying to be friendly and including her.  
She sighed and curled up on her couch, wondering what normal people did when they came home from school. She would learn to adapt as time went by.   
  
* * * 


	9. Part 9

Part 9  
  
The task of telling Serefina about the new girl had fallen to Rhea, She refused to be afraid. Even though Serefina had the ability to go out in daylight, she tended to rest during the hours of sunlight. No one disturbed her unless it was an emergency - or they wanted to end their life early.   
  
But the hours of daylight were fading and darkness was spreading, shadows in the old house were growing, twisted and eerie in the gathering dark.  
  
~Get over it~ Rhea told herself. ~The sooner you get it done you can relax~.  
  
Squaring her shoulders she marched up to the bedroom at the top of the house. But her vision seemed to be playing tricks on her. The more she walked, the further away the doors appeared to be. She ran forwards, the doors stretched away from her. If she backed up, they came closer and closer...  
  
"Stop!" Rhea screamed, falling to her knees and covering her eyes. "Stop! Stop!"  
  
She cowered there, unsure what to do, not knowing how long, her breathing ragged and frightened. She eventually removed her hand from her eyes, cautiously peeking over the top.   
  
Everything looked normal.  
  
She staggered to her feet. She took a few small steps forward. The doors at the end of the hall remained where they were. Rhea stopped in confusion, tears burning in her eyes.  
  
Only a trick. Her mind had been playing a trick on her.  
  
She took several deep breaths and walked over to the doors. She knocked briefly and went in. The inner room was lit entirely by candles. The curtains around the four poster bed were drawn, lacy and filmy and allowing Rhea to see through them.  
  
"Was that you screaming in the hall, Rhea?" a soft musical voice from the bed asked, sounding amused.  
  
Rhea flushed. "Yes, it was. I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"  
  
A heavy sigh. "No. I was already awake?" A slender white hand with long nails, talon-like and blood red appeared, parting the curtains around the bed. The woman who lay like a white tiger in the bed, was, without question, the most beautiful women in the world.  
  
Perfect features, eyes like emerald, hair like a golden waterfall spilling down her back, a body to stop traffic on the freeway, right now covered by a white night gown, if the tiny scrap of silk could be called that.  
  
"Did you want something, Rhea?" the goddess asked.  
  
Rhea opened her mouth to tell her about the strange new girl when she saw a hand coming out from underneath the bed. She couldn't help a shudder.  
  
Serefina saw her looking and laughed. "What?" she said innocently. "I was hungry." She paused. "And in a sex mood. Fuck 'em and kill 'em."  
Rhea couldn't really disapprove. She did the same thing herself. "Works for me," she agreed.  
  
"You wanted to tell me...?"  
  
"Oh. Oh yes." Rhea glanced around again, gathering her thoughts. "A new girl arrived at school today."  
  
Serefina raised a hand, inspecting her nails. "So?"  
  
"She looks exactly the same as you."  
  
"You had the same worries when that Charlene girl arrived. It's probably nothing."  
  
Rhea frowned again, watching Serefina's languid movements, as if she didn't give a damn about anything or anyone but herself and her own pleasure.  
  
"She's strange," Rhea said. "I'm almost certain she's a Night Person. We did a background check on her. Her name's Juliana Valmont."  
  
"Doesn't mean a thing to me."  
  
But Rhea noticed the rare frown on Serefina's pretty features. She knew something she wasn't telling her. Finally she sat up with preternatural grace and turned to face Rhea directly. "I want you to watch this girl, find out what you can about her. Have Aries or Brandon flirt with her, date her or whatever."  
  
Rhea smiled slightly. "We're already on top of that. Brandon's on his way to meet her right now." She frowned. "What about Charlene. Her surname's Redfern, yet she doesn't act like a Redfern."  
  
"You leave her alone." There was unaccustomed sharpness in Serefina's voice. "She *is* one of us, she just doesn't remember. She will eventually. When she does, she'll come to her senses. For now, leave her be." Serefina sighed and looked down at the hand sticking out from under the bed. "I suppose I'd better do something about that. You can leave now."  
  
Rhea left closing the door behind her.  
  
* * * 


	10. Part 10

Part 10  
  
It was almost dark by the time he'd arrived at the small town. In the middle of nowhere in Oregon. He wondered how she'd even managed to find this place at all. There was an aura about the town...something...different...about it...  
  
A Night People town? Could be. There were Night People there. He could sense them.   
  
His gaze drew to the old dilapidated house on the edge of town, only a dirt track leading to the main road that led into town. Supposedly deserted, but there was a light on in the top window.  
  
His attention was momentarily distracted s he wondered who was in the house. Maybe a little mystery he'd have to solve once he was done with his task.  
  
*She* was in this town. His lip curled. She thought she could run. Hide here. Blend in with the humans. She lacked one major thing - she wasn't human in the slightest. She may have all their characteristics, but she wasn't one and never would be one.  
  
Neither would he, for that matter. He would never be human again.  
  
And he would make her pay for that.  
  
* * *  
Juliana stood in front of her mirror, wondering vaguely if she should change for her date with Brandon. She wasn't all too sure about rituals for humans this time round. She should have paid more attention than panicking because of the unexpected vision. She knew the basics about what humans had to do every day, but wasn't too clear on how they interacted.  
  
The only resources she had on how human teenagers acted came from TV shows, and books and magazines. The books were okay, she wasn't too sure about the magazines; they didn't really provide a lot of info not unless the person was someone famous, and famous people tended to act different from regular people. The constant commercials on the TV annoyed drove her nuts. They were every five damn minutes! It was way too irritating for her.  
  
She would just have to learn by trial and error she supposed. When she had been a girl she had only needed to learn simple things that her mother taught her, never needing education. Girls reading was frowned upon. They were supposed to marry a rich man and maintain a household.  
  
Boring.  
  
It had been her sister's lust for a more interesting life and adventure that had been their downfall...  
  
She shook her head abruptly, not wanting to think about her memories of her past. It was dead and buried, let it rest in peace.  
  
She decided she might as well change. If it was wrong it was wrong.   
  
But the question was what to wear? Juliana was jus used to wearing dark clothes and blending in with the shadows. But maybe it was that, her deliberate darkness that gave her an aura of darkness and differentness that made people stare.  
  
This was too hard. Maybe she should just say the hell with it and go back to hiding. Maybe she wasn't cut out for human life after all. Why not just go back to being who she was *before* the Hunter had interrupted and face him once and for all...  
No. Another bad idea. She hadn't killed a human since....  
  
She sighed heavily, wondering why now she was suddenly being plagued with all these memories. It wasn't fair. She had never asked for any of this. She'd just played the hand that had been dealt to her.  
  
She finally settled on a hot pink top with a sparkly gold design across the front and blue jeans. Should be okay...She eyed her reflection doubtfully. Did she stand out too much? She wondered how human girls managed to do this.  
  
She was debating on the possibility of putting on makeup, but before she could decide either way the doorbell rang. She picked up her purse and took a deep, steadying breath. Glancing through the peep-hole she could see it was the tall blond guy she'd met at lunch.  
  
He hadn't changed, she began to think she'd done something wrong, but there was only one way to find out. She opened the door and managed a weak smile. The smile he gave lit up his face and made his eyes sparkle. She could feel a warmth beginning to spread inside.  
  
"Hi," he said. "You ready?"  
  
"I guess." She stepped outside, locking the door behind her. The sky had darkened to an inky blue, and the stars had come out. Just being out in the night air made her feel so much better and more relaxed in her own element.   
  
He started leading her to a soft-topped black car parked by the curb and opened the door for her. At least he was being polite. She slipped inside, impressed with the comfort of the leather seats.  
  
As he got in himself and started the engine Juliana wasn't sure why she was suddenly getting goosebumps all down her arms. She didn't have body temperature, so what was it?  
  
She was also getting the impression of being watched again, and didn't like it.  
  
* * * 


	11. Part 11

Part 11  
  
The drive around town didn't take longer than about twenty minutes. There wasn't much to show. There was a cinema with two movie screens, a pizza place, a burger bar, a library, a handful of shops, the fancy apartment complex she lived in, an elementary school, the high school, and a reasonable number of ordinary houses, including an ancient-looking one on the edge of town. There were also woods surrounding the town that almost looked jungle-like.  
  
"So that's it," Brandon said, pulling his car into a space in front of the burger bar.   
  
Juliana managed a smile. "It's - " She didn't really know how to describe it.  
  
"Boring?" Brandon offered with a smile as he turned off the engine. "Dull? Small?"  
  
Juliana tried not to laugh as she got out the car. "Homely," she came up with.  
  
Brandon snorted. "Whatever."  
  
Juliana followed him inside the small restaurant, deciding she liked the bright, lively atmosphere. This place at least didn't seem as dull as the rest of the town. She guessed from the size of the crowd there wasn't much else to do.  
  
Brandon came back with some food. He wasn't much on conversation as they ate, which was fine with Juliana. She had forgotten all about the scary phone call. Nothing was going to happen to her here. She thought she had finally found a place where she could belong. She wasn't going to let the vision bother her either.  
  
The only thing spoiling the evening was the couple in the booth in front of her and Brandon. They were arguing loudly and swearing a lot. Juliana frowned in distaste. It was hard not to listen to them.  
  
"That's *it*! I've had it!" the girl was shouting. "You're a selfish piece of shit and I'm leaving. I wish you were dead!"  
  
With those words she grabbed her purse and stalked out the burger bar. Everyone near by quickly looked away. Juliana felt sorry for the boy who was flushing red with embarrassment.   
  
Something strange was starting to happen. Juliana was getting a very peculiar sense of Power running along her skin. She glanced over at Brandon, who was smiling oddly. His blue eyes flashed a startling gold.  
  
The boy stood up to go. He fell to the floor and didn't get up. Someone screamed.   
  
"That's Justin!" some girl was shrieking.  
  
Juliana was confused, watching people running around, looking to see if Justin had a pulse.   
  
"My God, he's dead!" someone else yelled.  
  
"Maybe we should go now," Brandon said. He stood up swiftly and grabbed Juliana's arm, leading her out side. He drove her home in silence.  
  
"Who was that?" she asked when Brandon stopped outside her house.   
  
Brandon waved dismissively. "Justin McKormack, some jerk on varsity baseball, the girl was the head cheerleader Jennie Price, he'd been cheating on her or something. They were going to break up sooner or later. It's just a bit of high school drama." He tried to smile.   
Juliana, however, wasn't convinced. She'd seen scenes like it on TV shows, but the boyfriend hadn't just dropped dead because the girlfriend was pissed off at him and wished it. "Thanks for dinner," she said, getting out the car.  
  
He gave her a brilliant, dazzling smile. "Any time."  
  
He didn't leave until Juliana was safe inside her apartment. It was all a bit too strange for her. She had never felt Power like that before. Just before the boy had mysteriously dropped dead. She remembered thinking it was odd how Brandon's eyes had flashed and changed colour, and the next thing she knew, the boy had dropped dead. Just like that.  
  
After the girl had *wished* it.  
  
Brandon was clearly no normal Night Person.  
  
The whole scene was not "a bit of high school drama."  
  
If it *was* Brandon, how had he done it? What *was* he?  
  
* * * 


	12. Part 12

Part 12  
  
Paige didn't know how she'd done it, but was convinced that somehow, Juliana was responsible for the mysterious death of Justin McKormack. Everything about Juliana just screamed *strange*. The girl was not normal.  
  
Which made her think of Charlene. Charlene and Juliana were identical. Charlene had been acting weird all day. Jackson's head was still in the clouds. It was annoying, all these weird things going on, and her not having a clue *why*.  
  
She remembered sitting in first period English that morning wanting something interesting to happen, someone new to come along and spice up the dull town. She had wanted a handsome stranger to come and sweep her off her feet.  
  
Not this. This was just nuts. She had, however, gotten her wish, but what she had wished for, was not what she had wanted. Now she was stuck with a mystery.   
  
A mystery she was determined to solve.  
  
* * *   
  
She wasn't as smart as he'd have thought. The Hunter watched her as she disappeared into the woods to feed. They were small, and it would be easy to trap her. He doubted she would have made many friends yet, or have somewhere she could run to.  
  
He allowed himself a small smirk. He'd waited so long for this moment, and now it was finally here. She wouldn't get away from him. Not this time.  
  
Tonight was his night.  
  
* * *  
  
Charlene didn't like the feeling she was getting, telling her someone was following her. Typically, every time she glanced over her shoulder there was no one there. That was the obvious cliché, wasn't it?  
  
She just needed to feed, then she could get out of the woods, go into town and find Paige and Jackson. She'd be safe with them.   
  
Senses alert she moved deeper into the woods. She reached out, picking up a fox. With a little mind control it stopped struggling as she sank her fangs into its neck and drained it.   
  
The blood satisfied her hunger, but it didn't really make her feel better. She hated her condition. Unfortunately, as far as she knew, there was no cure for it. So she was stuck this way and just had to deal with it.  
  
She thought of the strange vision that afternoon. Had it been trying to tell her something about how she had become the way she was? But why had it involved the new girl and some girl she was sure she'd never met?   
  
She dropped the corpse with a sigh and started heading out the woods, Maybe she could talk to Juliana about it. It wasn't every day a new girl came to school with your face and showed up in a vision in your head.  
  
The crack of a branch behind her sounded as loud as gunfire, making her whirl around in fright. Her eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped in shock at the dark figure standing before her, clad in black from head to toe, a ski mask covering his face, only showing cold blue eyes.  
  
There was a large wooden stake in his hand.  
  
"Hello Serefina," he said in a throaty voice. "Thought you could get away from me, did you?"  
  
He raised the stake.  
  
Charlene screamed and ran.  
  
* * * 


	13. Part 13

Part 13  
  
She'd been on his mind all day. Jackson didn't understand it. What was it about Juliana that drew him to her? She was stunning, sure, but so were lots of other girls. When he had first seen her something had almost seemed to open up.  
  
A light had almost started to shine around her. He had had the sane idea that this girl had been the reason that he had been put on this earth. He hadn't managed to even get a moment with her alone yet.  
  
The Snob Squad had hogged Juliana for most of the day. Paige was convinced there was something weird about her. He'd heard Juliana had collapsed in the hall after her last class. What confused him was the fact that Juliana and Charlene were identical. He was obsessed with Juliana from the first glance, yet he had known Charlene for about three years and had never really looked at her in that way.  
  
Charlene had never really talked much about her family before. She claimed she didn't remember, and never wanted to talk about it. He felt sue if he could just *talk* to Juliana everything would be okay. She would make everything okay for him. He just needed to *find* her.  
  
She wasn't at home when he'd called at her house. He drove into town where he spotted her heading into the burger bar with Brandon Goldthorn. Damnit. He'd just wait until the jerk left. Paige was inside the diner and waved to him. Jackson went inside to join her.  
  
He paused when he heard angry shouting. A couple were arguing, clearly breaking up. The girl left. The boy died. What the....  
  
He frowned as he joined Paige. She was watching Juliana with narrowed eyes. "She did it," she said as soon as Juliana and Brandon left the diner."  
  
Jackson glanced at her. "What makes you so sure? *He* did it."  
  
"Why would he?" Paige asked,  
  
Jackson shrugged. "Why would she?"  
  
They sat there in silence. He could already tell that Paige didn't like Juliana much. He knew talking to her about his crazy obsessions with the new girl wouldn't be much help. She would just tell him he was out of his mind. And she was probably going to turn out to be right about that, if he kept thinking along those lines.  
  
Paige sighed. "This is confusing."  
  
Jackson slumped back in his seat. "Tell me about it."  
  
* * *  
  
Charlene didn't know where she was running. All she knew was that she had to get away. Who *was* this insane person? Why was he calling her Serefina?  
  
Who was Serefina?  
  
This was just nuts. She shot through the dark woods, not sure what to do. There wasn't many places she could hide. She could hear the branches snapping behind her and knew the Hunter would catch her if she remained where she was.  
  
Charlene ran on, panting her heart beating so loud she was sure he would be able to hear it and give her position away. Tearing out of the woods, she spotted the town's only fancy apartment complex and banged loudly on the first door she could see.  
  
"Help me!" she screamed. "Please help me!"  
  
~Come on, answer,~ she prayed silently.  
  
The Hunter was coming closer.  
  
* * * 


	14. Part 14

Part 14  
  
Juliana heard the banging on her door. Whoever it was they sounded like they were running from the devil himself. She was still kind of frazzled from the events earlier in the evening...now this.  
  
She could hear the desperate cries for help, which were more than slightly alarming. She answered the door, surprised to see the girl who looked identical to her in a hysterical state of panic and fear.  
  
"Who the hell *are* you?" Juliana demanded.  
  
"My name's Charlene!" the girl cried. "Please help me! Someone's after me!"  
  
She was in such a state that Juliana almost felt compelled to help. She understood. She knew what the girl must be feeling. She knew what it was like to be so scared you could hardly think.  
  
"It's okay." She motioned for Charlene to come inside. "Who's after you?"  
  
Charlene glanced over her shoulder. Juliana stared, feeling her own terror rise. She had thought that she was safe. *Safe*.   
  
Hardly.  
  
The Hunter was here. He was looking from one identical from the other, completely surprised. Of course, all Juliana could see were his ice-cold blue eyes. Totally irrationally, Juliana thought eyes reminded her of someone.  
  
Not just anyone.  
  
*Him*.  
  
Her love before she had changed. Eyes like the Hunter...  
  
She grabbed Charlene's arm. "We have to get out of here! Now!"  
  
The bolted past the Hunter who was fumbling, not knowing what was going on any more than they did.  
  
"Where can we go?"   
  
Light appeared in Charlene's eyes. "My friends," she gasped. "Paige and Jackson. They'll help us."  
  
Juliana wasn't thrilled, but there was no choice. She followed Charlene, irrationally breathless. Strange, since vampires didn't really need to breathe. Charlene was banging on the door, loud enough to wake the dead.  
  
Two people she had seen earlier in the day came to answer them. The dark-skinned guy who couldn't take his eyes off her, and the blue-haired girl who'd been at her locker after school.  
  
"Help!" Charlene cried.  
  
They pushed their way inside the house, looking the door behind them and putting the chain lock on as extra security. Juliana didn't really feel all that safe.  
  
"What the fuck is going on?" Paige demanded.  
  
"Do enlighten us," Jackson added dryly.  
  
All three of them were looking at Juliana. Juliana sighed, realising what she had to do. What else was there?  
  
She took a deep breath and started to explain everything.  
  
* * * 


	15. Part 15

Part 15  
  
Rhea tapped her fingers impatiently, sitting in the lounge of the crumbling old house, waiting for Brandon to come back. She didn't know why she was so anxious to find out about Juliana. Maybe she just wanted to make sure there was no threat and she was overreacting.  
  
"Well that was a complete waste of time," Brandon snorted stamping in and dropping on the couch next to her.  
  
Rhea frowned. "She didn't tell you anything?"  
  
Brandon sighed heavily. "Not a damned thing."  
  
Rhea sighed. So far none of her Night World contacts had managed to provide her with any information on Juliana they didn't really know. The girl was supposedly seventeen. Her parents had been killed in a road accident, leaving her a considerable fortune to live on. No brothers or sisters, no criminal record, no hospital record, nothing to tell them any deeper.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're playing at?" A cold blast blew into the living room, followed by Serefina, her blue eyes glowing with anger and fury.  
  
Brandon frowned a little, not flinching. Rhea didn't understand how he could be so calm. "What'd you mean?"  
  
Serefina grabbed him, hauling him to his feet. "The boy in the diner?" she hissed into his face.  
  
Brandon glared back at her defensively. "That wasn't my fault!" he protested?  
  
Rhea frowned. Brandon's powers were spinning out of control again? His Powers were the most dangerous, apart from Serefina herself. "What boy?"  
  
"Aurora just called. Apparently there's an uproar going on in town tonight because a boy in the burger bar mysteriously dropped dead after a fight with his girlfriend," Serefina said, tossing Brandon aside as if he were merely a crumpled piece of paper.  
Rhea felt no sympathy for him as he picked himself up, grumbling under his breath.   
  
"I girl said 'I wish you were dead'. It wasn't like I did it deliberately." His tone was still defensive.  
  
"Did the girl see?" Serefina asked, her mouth pursed in a frown.  
  
"If you mean the girlfriend no, she was already gone. Nobody from the diner put two and two together." Brandon sounded smug about that.  
  
"And Juliana?" Rhea asked. That wiped the smirk off his fae at least.  
  
Brandon sighed. "I don't know."  
  
Rhea collapsed back in the chair she had been sitting on. Great. The girl probably already thought they were more than a little weird. And this wouldn't help them find anything out about her.  
  
"You blew it," Serefina snapped, annoyed.  
  
Brandon remained silent, shoving his hands in his pocket, a sullen expression marring his handsome face.  
  
"You've got *one* more chance," Serefina said finally. "Find me something concrete on this Juliana person. Or I'll have to punish you." And she was gone in a whirl of gold and darkness.  
  
"What?" Brandon snapped.  
  
Rhea didn't say anything. Mainly because she couldn't think of anything to say.  
  
* * * 


	16. Part 16

Part 16  
  
The Hunter didn't understand it. *Two*? There were *two* of them? One of her was bad enough. He paced around his motel room, scowling in anger, not understanding what had happened. Could it be, that after all of this, he had been chasing the *wrong* *girl*?  
  
It was pretty obvious there was more going on than he had thought. Unless...they were all in on it together, they had some sort of little game between them where they thought it was fun to ruin people's lives...  
  
They were all against him and determined to make him miserable. So far, they had been doing one hell of a good job. What had he ever done to deserve this? He had loved her! And this was what he had received. What had he done wrong?  
  
He'd never asked for any of this to happen to him...  
  
Whatever. He'd stopped getting weepy over it several hundred years ago. So there were two of them. So what? He'd just get them both. Twice the solace for him.  
  
Still, it wouldn't change what he was. Just have him more of a charge to complete his task.  
  
* * *  
Juliana was nervous. Even though the boy was only a slave...  
  
It was wrong. She shook her head, whimpering quietly. No moon shone, black clouds blanketed the sky. Juliana shook her head. "I don't want to," she whispered helplessly.  
  
The woman in dark robes laughed harshly. "You always were the weak one." Her voice held contempt. "It is a great gift that I have given you. Use it. Take advantage of the magic, the power."  
  
It didn't feel like a gift to Juliana. She had never felt so bad in her life. Sh didn't feel magic and powerful. She felt dirty and evil. The woman reached out and grabbed a slave boy, holding it out to Juliana.  
  
Not *it*. He was a person! Juliana could see the veins glowing slightly beneath the soft dark flesh of his neck. She could smell his fear. Something...her *teeth*. Ohm dear God, her *teeth* were growing. They were changing, lengthening, curving into delicate points.  
  
Moving against her will her teeth sank into the veins. The boy cried out faintly. A how, sweet liquid gushed into Juliana's mouth. The pain eased. She felt stronger than ever before, could feel the power in her fingertips. Now she understood why this was a gift....  
  
She paused for breath before digging in again. This was the magic the robed woman was talking about. Before long she pulled Juliana away.  
  
"Once they're dead, they're no good."  
  
The words struck Juliana like the blow of a hammer. She stepped away from the slave, staring. "He's...dead?" she whispered horrified.  
  
"Yes, that's how we live," the woman said, annoyed. "We live by their blood. We live by night and rule over the humans, over the witches and shapeshifters."  
  
Juliana's mind was a blur, not listening as the woman blathered on about the secret society called World of the Night, how they were better than everything else...  
  
Better? They were *monsters*...evil...Unholy...  
  
* * *  
Continuing the tradition Juliana woke sweating in fear. She hadn't even stayed at her own apartment. Both she and Charlene had stayed at Paige's house, feeling that they would be safer there.  
  
Still, the visions had come back. At least this time, it hadn't taken a feeling of dying agony to produce it. Charlene stuck her head.  
  
"You had one too?" she asked softly.   
  
Juliana nodded. "This one was the first kill."  
  
Charlene sighed. "Why are we getting these visions?"  
  
Juliana shook her. The visions she used to have before were part of her so-called "gift", but nothing like this had ever happened to her before.  
  
"I don't know," she said finally. "But I do have a fair idea where to get some answers."  
  
* * * 


	17. Part 17

Part 17  
  
The next morning Juliana was tired and irritable. Flashes of the past had been haunting her drams all night, plaguing her, reminding her of the people she had hurt and hunted. Now she knew their fear and terror, how could she have ever done this to anyone?  
  
It...it *was* her fault, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise, *she* had hunted and killed...and enjoyed it. She was just as bad as...whoever the woman in the visions actually was. She was a key figure in the whole thing, Juliana was sure of it.  
  
She didn't talk to anyone that morning, and remained silent during all her classes. She had seen Rhea, or Orchid, or Aries at various points, but talking to them all separately was no good. She needed to get them all together.  
  
When she went into the cafeteria at lunch Paige, Jackson and Charlene were waiting for her. Juliana was surprised. "You said you had an idea about what was going on," Charlene said.  
  
Juliana sighed. She had wanted to talk to Rhea and her friends alone. Paige and Jackson were *human*. Humans weren't supposed to know about the Night World. The law said death to those who found out - and to those who told. She didn't know how serious about the law these Night People were.  
  
She noticed Aurora and Orchid eyeing her choice of company with distaste. They walked over, bright smiles on their inhumanly beautiful faces. "Hi, want to eat with us?" Aurora asked.  
  
Juliana didn't smile back. "Get the others. We need to talk. *All* of us." Orchid eyed her suspiciously. "Just get them. We'll need an empty classroom. Somewhere we can talk without being overheard."  
  
Juliana gazed briefly around the cafeteria. She wondered if the normal students had already figured out something odd was going on. With the sudden and mysterious death of a popular jock, the arrival of an odd new girl, they were bound to have noticed something. The last thing Juliana wanted was word of the Night World spreading.  
  
"What's all this about? How come *they're* here?" Aries demanded.  
  
The group left the cafeteria. People got out of the way. No one said anything when they headed inside and English classroom and shut the door. "We won't be disturbed, even if the bells go," Rhea said.  
  
"Now is someone going to explain what the hell is going on?" Brandon said, sitting on a desk rather than in a chair.  
  
"This was *her* idea," Paige said, glaring at Juliana.  
  
Juliana explained what was going on. She didn't know if these people could help, but had convinced herself they could at least do something, although what, she wasn't quite sure.   
  
"So you're *both* Night People?" Aries said, looking from Juliana to Charlene.  
  
Juliana nodded.  
  
Aries sighed. "Serefina isn't going to be pleased about this."  
  
  
  
That name set of warning bells in Juliana's mind. The caller had called her Serefina. She had thought it was just a crank call. Charlene looked equally annoyed. "That's what he called me! That...*Hunter*!" She shuddered.  
  
"*Who* is Serefina?" Juliana demanded.  
  
Silence struck the group. They were all afraid. Too afraid to even talk about whoever this Serefina person was. They were all glancing at Paige and Jackson. "*They* can't know, it's against the law," Brandon said.  
  
Juliana's eyes rolled. "Get over it."  
  
Paige smiled unpleasantly. "So if you're that bothered, kill us."  
  
"*Don't* tempt us," Aurora snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously.   
  
"I don't *want* to be killed!" Jackson protested.  
  
Juliana looked over to Rhea for some sort of sense. Rhea seemed to be the leader of the group and the most mature. Rhea sighed heavily. "Nobody's going to kill anybody."  
  
They began to discuss various options. Juliana found her attention drifting. She'd hoped things would turn out here. She still wasn't sure whether she trusted anyone yet. Serefina...a vampire goddess, ancient, powerful, the woman who had been haunting her dreams.  
  
At least if the Hunter kept calling her and Charlene by the name of Serefina...Then Serefina was the last part of their triplet. The one who had brought them into the darkness of the Night World.  
  
It was *her* the Hunter was after. Not Juliana. Not Charlene. Serefina was the one who had done something terrible to the Hunter.  
  
The only choice she had if she wanted to find out, and what they were going to do about it, was stick around for the ride.  
  
* * *  
  
It wasn't fair. So far everything had always gone her way, she had always gotten what she wanted. The only mishap, perhaps, as far as Serefina could see was when her sisters had abandoned her two thousand years ago.  
  
The minute she'd discovered the Night World, or World of the Night, as it had been known back then, she had known this was the place for her. It hadn't taken much to seduce the idiot vampire who had changed her. So much for following so-called unbreakable Night World laws.  
  
She had decided if she was going to get the benefits of being a Night Person, then the two people whom were more important to her than anything in the world should enjoy those benefits as well.  
  
Who else but her beloved triplet sisters? Deadly and beautiful. Powerful and perfect. Feared yet worshiped. What more could anyone want?  
  
So at first instead of the traditional three exchanges of blood Serefina had made the change more species, into a proper ritual to the goddess Trivia, of the moon and dark magic, the Roman equivalent of the Greek's Hecate.  
  
Everything had gone according to plan, although Julia and Charlotte had refused to cooperate when they had finally realised what they were. Juliana and Charlene, they were calling themselves now, and both were here in, her town. Juliana was already mixing with *her* Night People, while Charlene was being pathetic and hanging out with those strange vermin friends of hers.  
  
And as for her own Night People...they weren't like regular vampires and 'shifters. They were new and different. She was the one who had trained them, taught them how to use their powers. Apart from djin Brandon. He was something else. Not a Night Person. At first having a new toy to play with had been fun.  
  
Now Brandon was more of a liability than everyone else. His Power was spinning out of control. Particularly with incidents like last night at the burger bar. If that continued to happen then people would catch on in no time. If they did, Brandon would probably make a fortune out of it, she thought sourly.  
  
Shame he was just too cute to kill.  
  
Serefina flitted about the dark house, empty now her Night People were at their human school, not sure what to do with herself. She was restless and too keyed up to sleep, though unsure why.  
  
It was most annoying that she didn't know, and couldn't figure it out. Her Night People weren't being much help lately. Maybe she should go find some new ones. She'd stick around for a while longer, if things didn't get better, then it was time for her to move on.  
  
Maybe she should try a big European city. She missed Rome. Maybe it was time to go home.  
  
It all depended on how things worked out here.  
  
* * * 


	18. Part 18

Part 18  
  
After two days of debating what to do the Hunter finally came up with a plan. He allowed himself a small satisfied smirk as he loaded the bullets into his gun. Why take unnecessary risks going directly for the twins? They seemed to have an annoying knack for getting away. It was time once again to show them whose shadow they lived in.  
  
He'd done it before, and it had been extremely enjoyable. The look on the little bitch's face when he'd killed her lover directly in front of her...A shiver of pleasure ran through him at the memory. Almost like a high.  
  
He held up a silver bullet examining it in the harsh lamp light. He knew none of those Night People were *normal* Night People, they all had something added on to general vampire and shifter powers.  
  
Silver killed shapeshifters and as far as he knew it would do enough damage for now.  
  
Under a cover of darkness he slipped out of his motel room and into the small town. It was late, and hardly anyone was out on the streets. The burger bar was closed, the pizza place down the street was still open, laughing voices and music echoed from inside.  
  
He peered in at the window, but couldn't make out the people he was looking for. He dreaded the thought of going inside. It would be hard to kill people in a crowd, and someone would notice a figure in black from head to toe, including ski mask. Plus his shot guy, even with a silencer on would be a dead give away.  
  
Still, he refused to give up this little side mission. He wasn't going to fail again. A sudden discovery of twins rather than one girl had thrown him off the mark. Didn't matter. He was still going to get on his feet.  
  
"Well *that* was a total waste of time," a snotty voice complained.  
  
The Hunter turned his attention to the girl leaving the two screen movie theatre.  
  
"It wasn't *that* bad," the boy with her said reasonably. "What'd you want? A full Night Person cast film?" He smiled a little, golden eyes twinkling.  
  
"Keep your voice down, for God's sake, Aries," the brown haired girl snapped, looking around.  
  
What luck. The Hunter took out his gun. Aries...one of the shapeshifters. And the girl with him was obviously a Night Person too. He called out softly, talking in Italian deliberately to distract them.  
  
They both looked at him as if he were crazy. He fired two quick shots directly at the head. The two surprised monsters fell to the floor. The Hunter would have liked to hang around for a bit longer, wait to see the town's reaction when the bodies were found.  
  
Unfortunately, his brain caught up with him and he disappeared, slipping away under his cover of darkness.  
  
* * *  
  
It was all over the school the next morning. The cold blooded murders of Aries and Orchid. Shot in the head - with silver bullets. Rhea didn't understand how it could have happened. Someone who knew they were Night People. Why else go to all the bother of making silver bullets? Someone who deliberately wanted to shock.  
  
Well, they'd achieved that. Rhea stumbled around her morning classes in a daze, not really sure why she was even there.  
  
"It beats being at home," Brandon pointed out. "I dread to think how Serefina's taking this."  
  
He had a point. Rhea wondered if Serefina would even care. Lately she'd been even more distant than usual. It was like she wasn't even there half the time, and that was scary enough.  
  
"I'll give you three guesses at who's responsible," Aurora said, her eyes narrowed in hatred.  
  
Rhea eyed her with confusion. Who could have - ?  
  
"The vermin," Brandon said, expression turning to one of disgust. "They know. They've never liked us."  
  
"Bingo," Aurora agreed. "We should have killed them when we had the chance."  
  
Paige was coming down the hall, not even bothering to hide her smug expression. Juliana and Charlene were behind her. Charlene looked as vague as Serefina. Juliana didn't look pleased.  
  
"How'd you do it?" Aurora demanded, storming towards them. "Bet those bullets must have cost a pretty penny."  
  
"I knew this would happen," Paige said, folding her arms. "As much I would have liked to, I didn't get the chance to kill them."  
  
"It was the Hunter," Charlene said softly.  
  
Rhea frowned, remembering Juliana's story from the other day. Things had been fine up until *she* had got there.  
  
"If you think about it, this is all *her* fault," Paige said smugly, saying exactly what Rhea had been thinking. "The Hunter wants to hurt *her*, and obviously doesn't have any problem with hurting the people around her."  
  
Juliana sighed. "It's not my fault," she complained. "I don't know *why* he hates me."  
  
"Maybe we need to do some more background work on where this guy is coming from," Brandon suggested.  
  
"Who says it's a guy?" Aurora pointed out. That point had never come up before.  
  
This *Hunter* was the key to everything. It was their fault. They wouldn't stop until Juliana was dead. It was all well and good realising that, but what the hell were they going to do about it?  
  
"Try running again," Paige suggested with a slight smile.  
  
"That won't do any good," Juliana said patiently.   
  
"Plus, I'm not going anywhere," Charlene pointed out. "If he hangs around he'll just think she's me."  
  
There was a hiatus. No one could think of anything to say. Silence echoed all around.   
  
"We need to find this Hunter," Rhea said finally. It was pretty much a given.  
  
"You need to tell us everything you can remember," Brandon said to Juliana. "In more detail."  
  
"I guess."  
  
It was a lousy plan, but it was the only plan they had. Rhea didn't want to hang around, waiting for this insane person to pick them off one by one, or two by two as the case seemed to be.   
  
Another thought was starting to form in her mind. She met Aurora's eyes and smiled. Aurora was thinking exactly the same thing.  
  
* * * 


	19. Part 19

Part 19  
  
It wasn't right. Paige had been trying to tell herself she could handle this. These *monsters* thinking they could pass themselves off as people. It was almost too pathetic for her even contemplate actually accepting it.  
  
They knew this was all because of some stupid ancient thing to do with Juliana - and only one person had the right idea what to do with the bitch. And that was the so-called Hunter, who was doing a lousy job of trying to follow her.  
  
"Could you *be* less subtle?" she said out loud. She'd been wandering aimlessly for the last two hours or so, trying to figure out something to do. Jackson wasn't being very helpful; he was still out of it as he had been since Juliana had arrived.  
  
Charlene was shutting herself away from everyone, not dealing any better than anyone else. The Night People had been grilling Juliana on her past, trying to work out who the Hunter actually was. Paige had gotten very bored, very fast.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
Paige turned around staring at the boy who stood behind her. He was dressed in black from head to toe, even complete with black ski mast. The only colour about him was his bright blue eyes, the shade of a summer sky.  
  
"You're the Hunter."  
  
"Is *that* what they call me?" He sounded extremely amused. "Well, what's the fun of hunting if no one knows who you are?"  
  
Paige eyed him, an idea beginning to spark. She found herself wishing she could see his face. Working with a shadow might be a little too creepy for her.   
  
"I know what you're thinking," the Hunter said. Paige forced herself to meet his eyes without shuddering.  
  
She didn't know if this guy was human or not, and the idea that he could get into her mind, know what she was thinking...  
  
It was almost as scary as monsters trying to pretend that they were human.  
  
"I didn't say *no*," the Hunter said. Paige wasn't sure if he was smiling or not.  
  
"Fine," Paige said. "But before we work together some things need to be established." She reached out and yanked off the ski mask, blinking as she saw the Hunter's true face. "That's better. Now let's talk deals."  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"But *why*? I don't get it." Jackson sighed moodily. He lay sprawled out on the couch, a football game going unnoticed on the TV.  
  
He didn't get it. It made no sense. He couldn't seem to talk to Juliana, so he tried talking to Charlene. She wasn't being much help. He'd approached the idea of possibly asking Juliana out - yet she was avoiding him. Then Charlene had dropped the bombshell that humans and Night People weren't allowed to be together.  
  
"What planet has your brain been on?" Charlene snapped. "This point has been made over and over for the last few days."  
  
Jackson wondered if he was totally losing it. He didn't know what was happening to him, why he was so obsessed with Juliana. There needed to be some way for him to be with her without risk to her life.  
  
There was a vague thought at the back of his mind. Probably not actually a very good idea, if he were completely honest with himself. "Hey, can you make me a vampire?"  
  
Charlene stared at him as if he were utterly insane. "You *have* lost it! Do you even *know* what you're asking for? You're crazy!"  
  
"Oh come on," he said dismissively. "You've already broken some of your laws. Might as well break them all." From the look on her face he could see he wasn't going to get anywhere with her. "I don't know what else to do," he said finally.  
  
He knew he was being ridiculous, but it was like Juliana had cast some sort of spell over him. He was willing to do whatever it took to get the two of them together.  
  
"Maybe *you* could talk to her for me," he suggested.  
  
Charlene eyed him. She didn't look any happier. "All right," she said reluctantly. "I guess that would be the more sane approach." Jackson managed a smile. Charlene's eyes rolled as she stood up and left the room to find Juliana.  
  
* * * 


	20. Part 20

Part 20  
  
"He asked you to *what*?" Juliana stared at her sister in shock. She had never heard of anything...Well, that was kind of a lie, she'd had boys fall in love with her and come begging her to change them before, but no boy had ever been as obsessed with her as Jackson had.  
  
She hadn't liked the way he'd just *stared* at her when she'd first arrived in Elm Creek. He hadn't taken his eyes off her since. He'd *admitted* as much to her. He seemed to be under some sort of spell.  
  
Love spells weren't something she generally tended to play with. She'd never had much of a need for them.   
  
"So what am I supposed to tell him?" Charlene asked. "It's not fair to leave him in a state like this. He's really losing it."  
  
Juliana sighed. Maybe she needed to talk with him herself. She'd been avoiding being alone with him, but now it looked like... "Oh no." A thought struck her. There was one possibility she could think of that might cause something like Jackson's reaction to her.  
  
"What?" Charlene eyed her. "You don't think..." Clearly she might have guessed the answer herself.  
  
Juliana smiled wryly. It should have been the first thing that came to mind. She'd heard about it happening to others, and now it had finally happened to hers. "Soulmates," she said, shaking her head. She'd fooled herself into the crowd that thought it would never happen to them.  
  
"I guess Id better go tell him. Is he at home?"  
  
Charlene nodded. "Are you going to make him a vampire?"  
  
Juliana thought for a minute. "I don't know at the moment." She'd have to talk to him about this whole soulmate thing first, then see where to go from there. She shuddered. The last thing she needed as the Hunter finding out she had a soulmate.  
  
* * *  
  
Paige remained frozen a second before tearing out the room and to Jackson's house. What the hell was he *thinking*? He couldn't become one of *them*! No way. Not one of her friends. She supposed she could make an exception with Charlene, she hadn't been given a choice. Jackson *had*. He was going nuts. That Juliana bitch had somehow poisoned his mind. How long did it take to make someone a vampire in reality? Paige prayed she wasn't already too late.  
  
"Are you *crazy*? You *can't* be a vampire!" she shrieked, running into the living room where Juliana was saying something about the two of them - her and Jackson were destined for each other - their souls were one or some crap like that.  
  
It was all too much. She launched herself across the room, throwing herself on Juliana, lashing out with her fists. Juliana shrieked, falling back under Paige's unexpected attack.  
  
Paige was too blinded by rage and hatred to even know what she was doing with herself. She didn't see the silent figure slipping into the room, plucking her off Juliana like taking the head of a flower off the stem. "What the..." She never finished the sentence.  
* * * 


	21. Part 21

Part 21  
  
Serefina dropped the girl's body, delicate nose wrinkling in distaste. "I knew I didn't like her."  
  
Juliana and the cute dark-skinned boy were staring at her in utter disbelief. She just looked back at them innocently. "Well, she would have killed *you* two," Serefina pointed out, flipping back her shimmering yellow hair and taking a seat on an arm chair.  
  
"Thank God my parents are on vacation," the boy muttered.  
  
Juliana hadn't said anything yet. Just stood there, frowning. Serefina smiled radiantly. "Surely you recognise me."  
  
"You're the elusive Serefina?" the boy said.  
  
"And you are?" she asked, eyeing him curiously. She knew he was one of Charlene's friends, but couldn't recall hearing his name before. If she had, she'd forgotten. Probably wasn't important. He was only human, after all.  
  
"That's Jackson," Juliana said. She glanced down at the body on the floor. "Somebody's going to notice if we don't do something with that."  
  
There was an uncomfortable silence while Jackson took the body out of the room. Serefina looked at her sister expectantly. Juliana glared at her. "What? You just *show* up and think you can run my life like before?"  
  
Serefina waved dismissively. She had always been the one in charge, and always would be. Sooner or later her stupid sisters would realise that.  
  
"Maybe *she* can explain some of this Hunter business," Jackson said as he came back into the room.  
  
"What Hunter business?" Serefina asked, confused. Vampire hunters were annoying, but they could always be dealt with.   
  
She wasn't pleased about being forced to listen as Juliana snapped some story about some boyfriend she'd probably upset. "What does all this have to do with me?" she interrupted, bored, inspecting her long sharp nails, painted gold today.  
  
"He keeps calling me *Serefina*," Juliana said moodily. "So this is all *your* fault."  
  
"Get over it," Serefina snorted, standing up. "Kill him the next time you see him. I'm bored now. I'm leaving." Her eyes rolled in disgust as she glided out of the house. Somehow she'd make them see things her way.  
  
Families should stick together.  
  
Somehow...  
  
* * * 


	22. Part 22

Part 22  
  
What a stupid girl. The Hunter hadn't even bothered to stop Paige when she'd had her psycho attack. Now she was dead. Her own fault. He had no sympathy for her. She should have out of what wasn't her business.   
  
So. *Three*. A third stunning floaty blonde had just drifted past him. He'd thought there were only two - or perhaps this was one of the other ones. Confusion rang in his mind. He didn't seem to know if he was coming or going at the moment. And from the look of it he wasn't the only one.  
  
Something needed doing.  
  
Action needed to be taken to deal with this stupid town and these idiotic people. He despised them all so much for what they were doing to him.  
  
"You."  
  
The Hunter *still* couldn't believe it. He turned around to find himself facing two stunning girls, one with gleaming red hair, the other with raven curls. Night People.  
  
"You really need to work on your disguises," the black haired girl said with a faint smile.  
  
The Hunter sighed. The girl was probably right. As pointed out to him once before these days someone was going to notice somebody sneaking around in black. He yanked off the ski mask and threw it to the floor, resisting the childish impulse to stamp his foot as well.  
  
He saw their eyes raise in appreciation, seeing his true face. "Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Rhea, That's Aurora," the redhead said. "We're going to be friends from now on."  
  
The Hunter's eyebrow raised. "So basically we're joining forces." Maybe this time he would be more successful than the first attempt. "This time we're doing it *my* way. Now this is what you're going to do..."  
  
* * *  
  
"You can't be serious." Brandon stared at Serefina in disbelief. She'd been wandering aimlessly all night, completely out of it. She had come home a few minutes, and promptly announced how unfair it was that Juliana had a soulmate.  
  
Ever since all this weird business with Juliana she'd been - different. He'd almost found himself liking Juliana. If she would come around to Serefina's way of thinking, things could be different. Two ancient powerful Night People - three if they could convince Charlene to stop trying to convince herself she wasn't part of any of this when she clearly was - they could take over the town.  
  
The news of Paige's death had spread over the town quickly by the following morning. A new mystery to scar the local townspeople. People where already whispering that the freaky new girl was the one responsible. Maybe she had help....  
  
Brandon had been scowling all night. It didn't take a genius to figure out who Juliana's *soulmate* was.  
  
"He's absolutely no good for her," Serefina had said the night before, running a brush through her golden locks. "He's *vermin* for starters." Smile had widened as she'd heard Brandon's disgusted mutterings. "I have an idea." Her eyes had been twinkling.  
Brandon had been more than happy to agree, kicking himself mentally for not thinking of it before now. He could have done it the night before, from inside the house and no one would ever know, but he wanted to see the look on Jackson's face.  
  
He hoped Juliana wouldn't be around. How could you seduce a girl by killing her boyfriend right in front of her? The plan for him was she'd need comfort...  
  
"Oh. Joy. You." Jackson wasn't too pleased when Brandon fell into step with him in the school hall.  
  
"Me." Brandon was trying not to smirk. He would have liked a more private place, considering the uproar the death in the diner had caused.  
  
"How dumb do you think I am?" Jackson snorted.  
  
Brandon snorted. "You really want me to answer that?"  
  
Jackson smiled faintly. "I ain't never had a friend like you, right?"  
  
Brandon stared at him, realisation dawning, but it was already too late.  
  
"*How* *bout* *I* *wish* *you* *were* *dead* *instead*?"  
  
As Jackson walked away with a smug smile on his face, Brandon fell victim to his own power.  
  
* * * 


	23. Part 23

Part 23  
  
It was becoming more and more obvious that Juliana couldn't stay in Elm Creek for much longer. Three people - no four if you counted the boy in the diner - had died in strange circumstances since she had arrived.  
  
She had been convinced that this time it would work, this time she could avoid the Hunter and settle down and start a new life.  
  
Oh no.  
  
What had she been thinking? He'd found her, and was killing people. She'd heard the whispers of course. Everything had started happening the minute *she* had come. Not to mention her vision attack that first day.  
  
Everything had gone down hill since she had arrived. She should have taken it as a sign and split before anything had happened. Barely a week had passed! She dropped her books on the couch in her apartment, wondering what to do.  
  
She remembered a few days ago, coming in after school, wondering what normal people did when they got home. Normal students probably didn't have to worry about psychotic vampire hunters chasing them around the world.  
  
A sound coming from upstairs caught her attention. She frowned. No one else should be here. She headed upstairs cautiously. "Hello?" she called out, feeling extremely stupid. A soft of whispering floated into her ears.  
  
She stood silently, listening carefully. The whisper came again, just a ghost on the wind, something that shouldn't be there, but was.  
  
"Who's there?" she called again, starting to walk towards the sound.  
A floorboard creaked behind her. She whirled around. No one was there. Of course there wasn't. She was completely losing it. Shaking her head she turned around, only to hind herself meeting Aurora's fist, knocking her out.  
  
* * *  
  
Juliana blinked painfully, her vision blurred, swarming in front of her. She didn't bother moving knowing she was likely to be tied up, somehow immobilised.  
  
"I told you I'd get you."  
  
It was the voice that had haunted her for the past hundred years. The man determined to ruin her life, and even worse - without her even knowing why. Now he was going to reveal his true face to her.  
  
He was rather slender for a boy, with a gorgeous face that looked like it belonged on an ancient coin, his long blond hair tied back in a neat ponytail. Eyes the colour of sapphires, glared back at her, twinkling in deadly fury.  
  
"Now do you recognise me?" he asked, his voice cold with hatred.  
  
Juliana stared at him in utter disbelief. "*Apollo*?" she whispered. "But you died." This boy had been her childhood sweetheart, her best friend, until he'd mysteriously disappeared one day, over 1500 years ago. She couldn't push away the memory now...  
  
She recalled feeding on him once, and freaking when she realised what she was doing. The next day he had disappeared. Several centuries later she had caught herself doing it again, the one friend she'd made since she'd been targeted by the Hunter...  
  
She shook her head, tears starting to trickle down her cheeks.  
  
"Well, I probably would have been better off dead," Apollo said carefully, turning away. Juliana didn't understand. How could someone named for a god of the sun, who was once full of warmth and brightness - now be so cold and evil, driven by hatred.  
  
"*Why*?" she cried. "I loved you!"  
  
Apollo turned to face her, his expression twisted in rage. He hit her viciously several times. Juliana sank back, stunned. "How can you *say* that?" he screeched like a banshee. "I loved you, too Serefina! You made me a *monster*! You didn't even ask!"  
  
Juliana frowned in confusion. On the creepy phone call he had called her Serefina. When he had chased Charlene he had called *her* Serefina. Everything was finally starting to make sense. Years of shock, death, pain and misery...all meant for someone *else*!  
  
"But I'm not Serefina! I'm *Julia*. *Julia*. Don't you remember me, Apollo? We grew up together. Serefina was my identical sister. Don't you *remember*?"  
  
Apollo was looking at her blankly. "Sister...?" he asked, confused. "I saw two of you...I didn't get it..." He trailed off and walked away.  
  
Hot tears of anger and rage slid down Juliana's cheeks. Serefina had bewitched him, she had taken him away from her, turned the bright sunny boy she had loved into a twisted, evil monster. Apollo was unstable, and he didn't seem to know what he was doing anymore.  
  
Could she convince him to let her go? She could help him, they could be together again....  
  
She didn't know what she was thinking herself. She'd been terrified of him for years...  
  
Shouldn't somebody be on their way to rescue her by now?  
  
* * * 


	24. Part 24

Part 24  
  
"You are a bastard, you know that?" Charlene was trying not to smile when Jackson filled her in on the real story of Brandon's death.   
  
Jackson was smirking. "You should have seen the look on his face." He knew Brandon had been planning the same for him - kill him by simply *wishing* him away. Brandon had always hated him so much, how come he'd never considered doing this before?  
  
Whatever. At least Juliana would he all his now and he wouldn't have to worry about some snotty geni trying to steal her away.  
  
"I guess we should check on Juliana," Charlene said thoughtfully, as she and Jackson left school.  
  
Jackson nodded. He hadn't seen her all day. He knew she was freaking over this Hunter business. The whispers that she was responsible were getting to her. When school ended the streets of their town were usually filled with kids and adults. Today, the town was eerily quiet.  
  
There was hardly anyone on the streets. Jackson wouldn't have been all that surprised if a tumble weed had blown past his feet. A cold breeze was starting to chill him to the bone. Yet the tree leaves weren't stirring at all.  
  
"Do you feel that wind?" he asked.  
  
Charlene shook her head. "No body temperature." She looked around. "What wind? Looks pretty still to me."  
  
"And me. That's weird." He didn't like the idea that there was something only he could feel. The chill increased as they reached Juliana's house. The front door was open, and he was getting a bad, bad feeling.  
  
"Something's happened."  
  
Charlene ran into the house, Jackson close on her heels. They searched the entire house but Juliana wasn't there. She was gone. And in grave danger. Jackson felt absolutely sure of it.  
  
"Who would..."  
  
"I don't know," Charlene cut him off in mid sentence. "But I know someone who might have some answers."  
  
* * *  
  
Charlene slammed the surprised figure of Serefina against the wall of the crumbling old house. She didn't understand how Serefina could live in a dump like this, but that wasn't really the issue.  
  
"Where is she?"  
  
Serefina blinked. "Who?"  
  
Charlene hit her, knocking her sister's head against the wall. "Ow!" Serefina whined. "Why are you hurting me?"  
  
Charlene wondered how someone so powerful could be almost...childish. How the hell had Serefina managed to get where she was today? "Juliana," Charlene hissed.   
  
"She's mysteriously been kidnapped," Jackson added, his tone as dark and deadly as Charlene's. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"  
  
Serefina glared at them, yanking Charlene off her and tossing her away. "Maybe if you just *asked* rather than waltz in and start *punching* people."  
  
Charlene winced as her back hit the edge of a coffee table. She picked herself up, groaning a little. "Do you know what's happened to Juliana?" she asked, forcing herself to calm down.  
  
"I'm assuming you came prepared for vampire hunting?" Serefina asked.  
  
Charlene's mouth open, then closed. Damnit! How foolish she had been diving in head first like that?  
  
"Of course." Jackson pulled a large home-made stake from his backpack. "I got garlic from my parent's kitchen and some Holy Water from the church last night," he added proudly.  
  
Charlene and Serefina exchanged glances. Serefina's eyes rolled. "Sorry Buffy, that stuff doesn't work in reality."  
  
Jackson flushed, holding up the stake. "But this does, right?"  
  
Serefina reached out and took it. "I guess we'll see."  
  
Rhea and Aurora walked in the door, stopping dead when they saw Jackson and Charlene there. "You two have been naughty."  
  
Charlene was amazed at their reaction. They were *terrified* of her. She could actually *smell* their fear, it was unbelievable.  
  
"We can explain," Aurora whispered. It was almost amusing, seeing Aurora lose her coolness - and more than that."  
  
"You don't have to explain. I get the picture." In a movement faster than lightning Serefina darted forward, slamming the stake into Aurora's heart, and in fast succession yanked it out and moved onto Rhea. Charlene watched the shock and horror on their faces flash briefly, before going lack and stupid. The skin started withering, the bodies falling in on themselves and turning into nothing but mummified corpses.  
  
"Come on," Serefina said, and walked out the door. With nothing else to do, and not having a clue was happening Charlene and Jackson followed.  
  
* * * 


	25. Part 25

Part 25  
  
Juliana sank back against the wall. She appeared to be in some motel room somewhere. Apollo was wandering around aimlessly, his blue eyes glassy, muttering to himself. Juliana had tried talking to him, but he didn't seem to be making sense any longer, she wondered if he even remembered he was there...  
  
"You're like one of those voices in the head that talks all the time." He turned and smirked at her. "Know what I mean?"  
  
Juliana tried to keep the tears from flowing. "Yeah," she said, an eyebrow raising. "I got a pretty good idea." She wondered if he'd even get what she meant. His statement had been kind of an obvious metaphor. He wasn't in the right frame of mind to talk normally.  
  
"If you are who you say you, then how come my memory of you isn't there?" he asked, tilting his head to one side, blue eyes inquisitive.   
  
Juliana sighed. "Because Serefina bewitched you into letting her do this and made you forget me."  
  
At the mention of Serefina's name Apollo's face briefly turned into a mask of rage and hatred. Then changed to puzzled. "Why?"  
  
Juliana had never really thought about that. She had been so shocked about the disturbing truth of the mysterious Hunter, she hadn't even begun to *contemplate* why Serefina would do such a horrible thing.  
  
Ever since she'd changed Serefina had been different. Colder. Crueller. She took whatever she wanted, not caring about anyone or anything else but her own pleasure.  
  
As far as Juliana had been aware Serefina had never shown ant interest in Apollo. He had always been too goody-two-shoes for her. Maybe she had decided to have her fun with him, see what he was like in bed, or...  
  
"I don't know," she answered finally.  
  
Apollo frowned a little, studying her for a moment longer. "She needs to die," he said, straightening, a smile spreading across his handsome face. "Yes. That's the answer. I should go and find her and kill her. Send her to hell."  
  
"Unfortunately, didn't you ever learn that *hell* sometimes comes to *you*?"  
  
Juliana looked over Apollo's shoulder, staring in shock and disbelief as Serefina arrived with a large wooden stake in her hand. "*No!*" she shrieked, struggling with the ropes that bound her. She was already too late, anyway. Apollo was finally dead.  
  
Jackson and Charlene burst into the apartment, racing over to Juliana and untying her. Juliana tore away from them, kneeling beside Apollo's body, not bothering to stop the tears from following.  
  
Jackson pulled her away, taking her in his arms and letting her cry for a few minutes. Juliana pulled herself together then turned to face Serefina. "You *destroyed* him. And you changed him. *Without* permission."  
  
Serefina shrugged. "I was bored." She placed her hands on her hips, as if daring Juliana to start something.  
  
But Jackson was holding her back. "She's not worth it."  
  
"What happened?" Charlene asked.  
  
Juliana sniffled. "It was all *her*. It was Serefina he was hunting, he got us mixed up. You remember Apollo?"  
  
Charlene's eyes widened. "The guy you were nuts about." She turned furiously towards Serefina. "How *could* you?"  
  
Serefina's eyes rolled. "Get over it. You people bore me greatly. The psycho's dead now. Didn't he spend the last century driving you crazy?"  
  
Juliana sighed. As much as she hated to admit it, Serefina had a point. She didn't know what to make of the whole thing yet. Maybe in time she could forgive them both.   
  
"So...now what?" Jackson asked.  
  
"This place sucks," Serefina said with a pout.   
  
Juliana didn't say anything. She had a point there.  
  
"Maybe you can start school," Jackson suggested.  
  
"I'd rather die," Serefina snorted.   
  
"It can be arranged," Juliana muttered under her breath.  
  
* * * 


	26. Part 26

Epilogue  
  
Juliana had finished packing. She, Charlene and Jackson were leaving in the morning. Juliana wasn't pleased about Serefina getting off scot-free for what she'd done to Apollo. Charlene had suggested hiring a vampire hunter and giving the bitch a taste of her own medicine.  
  
Juliana was seriously considering the deal.  
  
It had come as a surprise when Jackson's parents had been completely understanding about them leaving. He had said they were soulmates, which Juliana had eventually realised, wasn't true. She'd heard when the soulmate connection hit it was the revelation of a life time, fireworks and lightning, and all that.   
  
It had just been an easy way to explain something they didn't really understand. But she was quite satisfied with the way things had turned out between them anyway. It turned out Jackson's parents were both Daybreakers, and it would be a good place for them all to fir in and have somewhere to belong.  
  
Juliana wasn't exactly sure yet. She still wanted to finish high school, but staying here after all the unexplainable events, all seemingly involving her, was not such a good idea. So they were going to the nearest large city.  
  
After a long talk, she had finally convinced Jackson he didn't want to be a vampire, not just yet. They had to get to know each other a little better before he made the decision for real and not just on a whim.  
  
  
Charlene was coming as well, not really fitting in here. It was another relationship to restart, 2000 years apart was a long time, like meeting an entirely new person whether they were one of your triplet sisters or not.  
  
At least everything seemed t have worked out for her now. There was no more fear of being hunted and running. Juliana allowed herself a smile.  
  
She could finally stop.  
  
THE END. 


End file.
